On-page SEO is a tricky game. If you’re not an expert, it can feel like playing poker with someone who has four queens up their sleeve and no one else at the table knows what they’re doing.
Fortunately, an advanced AI-powered SEO tool like Surfer can help you play better and win more often. In fact, you'll be able to leapfrog any competitor who hasn’t yet discovered this tool and achieve first-page rankings a lot faster than them.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to use Surfer to fine tune your on-page SEO and get a lot more traffic from Google.Key Takeaways
Disclosure: Although I receive affiliate compensation at no additional cost to you to support this site that compensation in no way influences my recommendations, which are strictly informed by my 10+ years of online business experience consulting for clients large and small. My aim is to always recommend tools that offer the best return for your investment (for more details, read my Affiliate Disclosure).
What Is On-Page SEO and Why Should You Care About It?
On-page SEO is the process of optimizing web pages for Google search with the goal of achieving higher traffic levels and improving their visibility on search results.
The main elements of on-page SEO are page structure, word count, meta tags, images and keyword density.
On-page optimization is more critical than domain-wide optimization because Google crawls websites one page at a time — in the end, the SEO game is won and lost at the page level.
However, this is better said than done because Google uses over 500 signals to calculate search rankings and it’s hard as it is to keep up with the algorithm's complexity.
The good news? With the help of AI-powered tools like Surfer, you can stay ahead of the curve and quickly optimize your website page by page for maximum traffic generation.
In fact, you can also use Surfer to analyze your competitors’ websites in order to find their weaknesses and exploit them to your benefit.
And it goes without saying that more traffic means more leads, more sales and more revenue for your business!
How Can Surfer Help You Optimize Your Website for Better Search Rankings?
Surfer can help you optimize your website for better search rankings and increased traffic in three simple steps:
First of all, Surfer will use AI to analyze the first page of search results for your target keyword in order to help you identify your weaknesses quickly and easily.
Once you find those areas where you’re at a deficit in relation to other players, Surfer will recommend the necessary corrections to bring your page up to par.
Finally, Surfer will look at key search ranking signals, such as number of headings, number of images, title length, meta description length and so on, to ensure that your page generates the same signal strength as all other entries on the first page of search results.
By using Surfer's recommendations, you'll gain a significant advantage over competitors who are not relying on AI to optimize their sites.
What Are Some of the Most Important On-Page SEO Factors to Focus On?
On-page SEO is a complex and ever-changing field, but there are a few key factors that you can focus on to get optimal results.
Below are some of the most important ones:
Word Count
The amount of content on your webpage is one of the most important ranking factors in Google search results.
Now, technically, the more text you write, the bigger the opportunity you have to rank for keywords and phrases.
But that comes with a big caveat. If all articles on the first page of search results for your target keyword are short and you write a long one, you'll be telling Google that you don't belong there.
Why? Because, if all page-one articles that address your target keyword are expected to be on the short side of things by users, yours will also need to match that metric.
Surfer will tell you how your word count measures up to articles that are already ranking on page one for your target keyword so you have an opportunity to make the necessary adjustments.
Title tags
Your title tags should be unique and descriptive and should include your target keyword. But in addition to that, your titles need to have the right length.
If they're too long, Google will truncate and then cap them with ellipses (...), which can negatively impact your click-through rate (CTR).
If, on the other hand, your title tags are too short, you're not giving people enough information about what your page is about, which can also hurt your CTR.
Surfer will tell you what the ideal length for your title tags is so you can get the perfect balance between keyword optimization and CTR.
Meta descriptions
Your meta descriptions are another important factor for on-page SEO. They should be unique, interesting and should include your target keyword.
But like title tags, meta descriptions need to have the right length. If they're too long, Google will cut them off, hurting your CTR. If they're too short, you're not giving users enough information about what your page is about, which can also hurt your CTR.
Surfer will tell you what the ideal length for your meta descriptions should be to rank on the first page of search results.
Paragraphs
The number of paragraphs on your page is also important for on-page SEO. A page with a few long paragraphs is going to be difficult to read, especially on smartphones, and will likely have a lower CTR than a page with many small paragraphs.
On the other hand, if you have too few short paragraphs, your article may seem thin and not offer enough value to readers.
Surfer also tell you the ideal number of paragraphs for your articles so you can strike the perfect balance between readability and value.
Bolded Text
Text bolding is a great way to highlight important information and keywords on your page. It can also help improve the CTR of your articles, and as a result it’s an important ranking signal for Google.
However, you don't want to go overboard with this. If every other word on your page is bolded, it's going to be nearly impossible to read and will turn readers off.
Surfer will tell you the ideal amount of bolding for your pages so you can get the benefits of improved CTR without sacrificing readability.
Headings
The number of headings on your page is another important factor in on-page SEO. That's because headings help Google understand the structure of your article and give it a better idea of what it's about.
But too many headings can make your article look amateurish, which can turn users off. And too few headings can make it difficult for Google to understand your article.
Surfer will tell you the ideal number of headings you'll need for your page so you can strike the perfect balance.
Images
The number of images on your page is also an important factor for on-page SEO. That's because images help break up your text and make your article more visually appealing.
But too many images can make your article look like a slideshow, which can turn users off. And too few images can create a wall of text that'll make your content difficult to digest.
Surfer will tell you what the ideal number of images for your page is so you can strike the perfect balance here too.
If you're serious about on-page search engine optimization, then Surfer will become an invaluable tool for your digital marketing arsenal.
Wrapping Things Up
The world of SEO is very competitive and you should take advantage of every single edge you can possibly get.
By using an AI-powered tool like Surfer, you’ll be able to quickly get insights into how your pages stack up against the competition while making the necessary adjustments to leapfrog your competitors in search results.
